The Women Marched… Now What? MotherBoard, a New Progressive Organization in Norfolk, Starts to Answer that Question

On January 21st we marched by the hundreds of thousands, and boy did it feel good.

A cathartic release of all the anger that had been building as we watched a petulant, arrogant, petty, insecure, unprepared and wholly unqualified bully ascend to the highest office in the land on threats to build a wall, deport millions, ban Muslims, defund Planned Parenthood, roll back abortion rights, trash environmental regulations, withdraw affordable healthcare, shred the safety net, stifle the free press and wage an outright war on facts.

Article written by Erin Wickersham and Sybil Spurgeon, for MotherBoard757

And yet there he was, on January 20th, taking the oath of office, despite the fact that a majority of voters – 3 million more, to be exact – voted against him.

So to say it felt good to come out the next day — and show our numbers and our strength and anger and determination — is an understatement. It felt fantastic.

But that initial feeling was fleeting. We had not even disembarked from the Amtrak car that Saturday night before the questioning started: What did it all mean? Where do we go from here? What’s next?

MotherBoard is a newly formed organization intent on answering those questions. We are connecting citizens in Hampton Roads with the tools, resources and information they need to support progressive organizations and candidates.

We are not recreating the wheel – just helping it turn a bit faster.

At the Women’s March we chanted over and over, “This Is What Democracy Looks Like!” And it was true: this is what Democracy looks like on a very exciting, very moving, very exceptional day:

Photo of Women’s March, courtesy of Sybil Spurgeon.

But here’s the harder truth: this is what Democracy looks like most days:

This is a picture of the Virginia Beach Democratic Committee monthly breakfast meeting, held at the Golden Corral in Virginia Beach late last year.

Scarlett Johansson did not show up. Neither did Madonna.

Instead, short speeches were made. Clipboards were passed out. Relationships were formed.

Pork sausage was served and political sausage created.

MotherBoard knows that, in order for the Women’s March to “mean something,” local women are going to need to change our priorities and adjust our expectations. This is not an instant gratification endeavor.

Instead of taking our kids to soccer practice, we need to take them to a City Council Meeting.

Instead of going to a movie, we need to go to a town hall meeting.

Instead of going to a fancy restaurant for cocktails, we need to go to Golden Corral, for meetings with like-minded activists like ourselves.

We do not need to do these things every day – but we need to do them once a week, once a month. We need to do these things on a regular basis. We need to undertake the sometimes unglamorous — but ultimately worthwhile — work of supporting local candidates and causes.

MotherBoard is connecting citizens in Hampton Roads with the tools, resources and information they need to support progressive organizations and candidates. We are not recreating the wheel - just helping it turn a bit faster.